Canada's antitrust watchdog sues Google alleging anti-competitive conduct in advertising

Canada's competition watchdog sued Google for anti-competitive behavior in advertising

OTTAWA – Canada's Competition Bureau has filed a lawsuit against Google's parent company, Alphabet, for anti-competitive behavior in online advertising. The watchdog announced on Thursday that it had submitted its application to the Competition Tribunal, seeking an injunction that would include the sale of two of Google's advertising technology tools. It also called for a fine to ensure compliance with Canada's competition laws.

A Google spokesperson said in response to the lawsuit that the claim "ignores the intense competition in the marketplace where ad buyers and sellers have multiple options," adding that Google is prepared to defend its position in court.

The Competition Authority launched an investigation in 2020 to investigate whether Google has taken actions that harm competition in online advertising. This research was expanded this year to examine Google's ad technology services.

The case is similar to efforts by the US Department of Justice, which has alleged that Google monopolizes the markets related to publisher ad servers and ad networks.

The final arguments in the US case were presented on Monday.

Earlier this year, Google offered to sell its ad exchange market to end an EU antitrust investigation, but European publishers saw the offer as insufficient. The news was first reported by Reuters in September.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil; Editing by David Leunggren)

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